The Beauty and the Hollow A Bleach Fairy Tale
by death princess saya
Summary: My version of Beauty and the beast.Every man in town wants to marry Yuki. She dislikes them and only wishes to care for her big brother.When he disapears in the forest she goes in after, but comes face to face with a hollow who captured her brother!
1. Chapter 1: The Beauty

**(Hello there.^_^ This is my Bleach version of Beauty and the Beast…Kind of. Everyone that I'm including in this story are all-human, except for the hollow/ beast. Enjoy.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own bleach**

**Chapter 1: The Beauty**

Yuki Amano was wandering around town in order to get groceries for home. She was doing this because her older brother was out hunting and so she had to buy vegetables and things of that nature, because the both of them had no talent for gardening, so they had to buy those things.

Unfortunately she hated going to the market. It wasn't exactly because it was a bad place. Most everyone was nice, but she didn't like having to greet all the young men in town who wished her hand in marriage. They were all so troublesome and annoying. Every time she came into town they would find new ways to propose to her.

All she wanted was to be left alone and live with her brother until he could find himself a good wife that he could care about. He of course thought it was the most idiotic idea in the world, but she didn't care. She wasn't interested in getting married. She could find better ways to spend her time than to be tied down with some village retard with single-minded intentions.

Currently none of the village men had spotted her. She was relieved, because she was almost finished with her shopping. This time she might actually get out without being spotted. She wandered away from the market and headed home.

On the last stretch of the journey she was regrettably intercepted by one of the more persistent of the men. Unlike some of the others though, she didn't mind him because he knew when to back off. He had brown hair and was and incredible goofball at times, but he somehow gained friend status with her. She rolled her eyes when he approached.

"Yuki-Chan!" He called flailing about like he always did when greeting her, "Why didn't you tell me you were shopping? I would've tagged along! Now the least I can do is carry your bags for you!"

Yuki let out an annoyed sigh. Although this man that wanted to marry her was a friend, he was extremely annoying. She glared at him.

"No Keigo," she said, sighing. "I just want to go home in piece without anymore annoying disturbances please."

Keigo backed off, knowing that he shouldn't bother her further, because of how annoying he was. He began to walk off; disappointed that he was thwarted that quickly.

"See you later?" He asked, pouting.

"Only if you wont try to propose to me!" Yuki called with a smile. "You know I'm not interested in marriage."

Keigo sighed as he left. He already knew that, along with every other man in Karakura village. But they all had fallen in love with the most beautiful girl there. Yuki was fair skinned, average height, had understanding brown eyes, and gorgeous light brown hair that any woman would die for. Besides the physical aspect of her being, she was very kind, regardless of how she acted to her suitors, who were really only after her for her looks. Keigo was one of very few who liked her for more than how she looked.

After that conversation with Keigo all the others began to come out and swarm her with gifts and proposals that she turned down immediately without hesitation. She just wanted to return home. Why couldn't all of these idiots realize that she wasn't interested! There were plenty of other able bodied women they could marry. Why not them?

She sighed and entered her home as one persistent young man with a smile that was totally just scary asked to be her love slave forever. Everyone called him "Foxy Gin" because he was somehow a ladies man, plus he looked like a fox. To her he was just irritating and creepy. She shut the door on him immediately.

Of course they never did stop when she reached home. Inside was one other suitor. He was tall and the most popular of all the men. He was by far the best looking man in town and was also the most manipulative. He was tall and his brown hair was always set back from his face except for one random strand that went across it. He was an excellent huntsman, and was the most persistent of the bunch. He was also the one she hated the most.

"I'm glad to see you here dear, dear Yuki," he grinned as he sat there with his ever-smug expression.

"Oh what a lovely surprise," Yuki said, half sarcastically. "Why might you be visiting this time Aizen?" She was being hopeful that he might not be trying to propose again.

"I'm here to do what I always do of course," he smirked. "To ask for your hand in holy matrimony."

"Aizen," she sighed, disappointed that her hopes had been dashed. "I told you already that I'm not interested in marrying you or any other person!"

"I know that already, but I'm still going to make you mine," he announced cruelly.

She sighed again and pointed to the door. She wasn't going to tolerate anymore annoying suitors.

Aizen just sat there. He was refusing to go anywhere. He knew that she would come up to force him out. When she did he grabbed a hold of her and kissed her really hard.

She struggled in his grasp. This was the first time anyone had tried to do this to her.

When Aizen pulled away he said, "You know you liked that. And I can give that to you every night if you marry me."

Yuki made a face of pure disgust. She pointed at the door once more and almost yelled for him to leave.

Finally he left. He knew he had gotten to her, even though she refused his proposal once again.

Yuki was so relieved once he left. Aizen was not a man meant for her. No man in the village was really meant for her. She wished they could get that through their thick skulls.

She set down her vegetables and relaxed on a chair for a while. She couldn't wait for Iyo to get home with his kill. She hoped he was having some luck today, because recently he was having a hard time finding anything to kill out there in the Karakura forest. For some reason the forest animals had become scarce. She was so concerned for her brother.

Later Iyo did return home. He was unfortunately empty handed though, which meant that they would end up with the vegetables as dinner. It was unfortunate that the animals had suddenly dispersed form their area of the forest, but there want much they could do about it.

At the table Iyo announced, "Yuki, tomorrow I'm going out to hunt again, but I shall go off further than I usually do to see if there's any game there."

"But Iyo," she complained. "Everyone knows not to head that way. Only travelers are allowed through that stretch of the forest, and they're not even allowed to leave the path!"

"Worry not. I know when to leave. If I feel something is going wrong I will head home immediately," he told her reassuringly.

"Really?" she asked, concerned.

"Of course," he smiled at her kindly. "I swear you really need to find yourself a husband."

"Not until you find a wife," she pouted.

"I haven't found the right woman yet! Plus you shouldn't need to worry about me! You're eighteen years old. You should go off and live your own life," he announced.

"I don't want to leave you all by yourself though," she pouted.

Iyo sighed, and then decided to just give up. He stood up from the dinner table and went up to his room.

"Good night Yuki," he said the hid away in his room to rest for the night.

"Good night onii-san," she sighed, and finished up with the dishes. After that she too went to bed.

On the next day she woke up at about the same time as her brother. He was loading up and getting ready for the trip into the deeper parts of the forest.

"I'll be back by tomorrow I promise," he announced ready to leave.

"Be careful!" Yuki called to him as he left.

Iyo acknowledged her with a nod and then disappeared into the darkness of the Karakura forest. He would hopefully return with a fresh kill from the forbidden parts of the forest.

She anxiously waited until then. All she really hoped was that he would return unharmed. She didn't care if he couldn't find any meat. They could survive off of vegetables. She just wanted him to return home safely.

**(Well that was chapter one. I hope you all liked it so far. I'll update the next one as soon as I can…)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Hollow

(Here's chapter 2. I hope you all like it. ^_^)

Disclaimer: I don't own bleach

Chapter 2: The Hollow

Yuki had waited all day for her brother to return. She was anxious about him because he had gone to a forbidden part of the forest. She was hoping he'd return safely.

She waited and waited, but he never came. She became more worried. What if he was dead? She was terrified to find out. Maybe he was going after some really good game though and would return the next day. Yes, that's what she would imply herself to believe. Iyo could never get caught or killed. She went to sleep with her hopeful thoughts.

In the morning she realized Iyo was still gone. Now she was freaking out. He must have gotten trapped there and needed help. She had to go help him! Immediately, she grabbed all her things and got ready for her journey into the forest. She raced out of her house, but was immediately intercepted by her suitors.

She tried to get past them, but they were all blocking the way to the forest. She was becoming frustrated. These idiots were such pests. Especially when she had important business to attend to. She struggled through the crowd, but they picked her up and carried her off to the local tavern.

It seemed that every eligible man was at the tavern. This meant they wanted her to do something for their enjoyment. She sighed as the men who were carrying her set her neatly on a table in the far corner of the place. She frowned as they all looked at her with hopeful faces. She was not going to do anything for their enjoyment. She wasn't like the local whore, (Yeah we can all guess who she is, with her ginormous boobs and long strawberry blonde hair!) who paraded about in barely anything.

"C'mon Yuki!" She could hear Keigo within the crowd.

She glared at him. "I am not singing for you guys!" She exclaimed.

The room immediately filled with sighing and begging. They really wanted her to sing for them.

"I cant! I have other business to attend to!" she whined to all her whiney suitors.

"Just one song, then we'll let you go!" Aizen called even though he was sitting at a table not far from hers. He was very amused at the moment.

Yuki knew the day was slipping away and her brother needed help, but she couldn't go unless she sang to these drunken idiots. Iyo would be okay if she sang only one song, right? She hoped so. She turned back to all the men and glared once more although she had been defeated.

"Fine!" she growled at the crowd, "One song!"

The crowd cheered. They loved her singing. This wasn't the first time that they'd dragged her into the tavern to sing. She would get caught and was forced many times to do this.

She sang a local folk tune that was short and merry, because that was the kind of music they liked in the tavern. Plus, she could get done with it earlier. She was so glad when finished. She tried to hop off the table to leave, but the men wouldn't move. She glared at them.

"Move! I need to go save my brother!" she growled, annoyed by their stupidity.

"Nope!" called a man, "Sing more!"

"I don't have time right now!" she yelled at the crowd, "I need to go save Iyo! He's in danger!"

"We wont let you leave," Aizen called from his table.

"Yeah Yuki," Keigo called in an uncertain tone. "There's been many strange noises coming from the forest lately. No one dares enter the forest in its current state."

"But my brother is in there! I have to go save him!" She whined.

"Iyo was a big nuisance anyway. If he dies he dies," called Ulquiorra, one of the more coldhearted men in the group.

"I am not just going to let him die!" She argued.

The men were still resisting her arguments. She was going to have to do something she really didn't want to. It was the only way though.

"If I agree to marry one of you, I get to go off and save my brother," she sighed willessly.

The men suddenly grew quiet. They were extremely tempted by her offer. Regardless, they all looked confused and concerned. Aizen stood up, looking annoyed.

"We cannot just allow you to go into the forest by yourself, even with an offer such as that. You may never come back!" He exclaimed.

"Please! Iyo needs rescuing!" She was on the brink of tears.

"How about I make a deal and you can take it or leave it!" Aizen said in a confident manner. All the other men began to look disappointed. They had an idea of what he was going to say. They of course were too afraid to oppose him though.

"If you agree to marry me I will make sure someone goes out to rescue your dear brother. Is that a deal or will you let him die?" Aizen asked, grinning maliciously.

Yuki began to cry, defeated. She had no other option, because these men were not going to let her leave. She had to do it for Iyo's sake.

"Fine! It's a deal!" she cried shrilly.

All the other suitors in the room sighed in disappointment. Yuki had finally chosen her fiancé. Their chance to win her over was completely eliminated.

"Good. We'll be wed tomorrow evening," Aizen announced sadistically.

She just fell on her hands and knees, crying. She did not want to marry Aizen. She could never love him. He was a cruel and manipulative man that only cared for his own goals. She only wished that marrying this man would be worth it. Iyo had better be returned alive.

Aizen sent out only one man to fetch Yuki's brother. He didn't expect the Iyo to be alive, but he did expect the man he sent to return by morning. This was a seemingly impossible task. It was hard to make the man go in the first place because he was frightened out of his mind!

Yuki impatiently waited until morning to come. She was very depressed because of the deal she had made, and she would feel worse if the man returned without her big brother.

She waited and waited but neither man came home. Her marriage ceremony would start soon she was beginning to regret ever agreeing to Aizen's wishes. She should have just waited until all the men had fallen asleep and then just left.

Currently, no one was blocking her from the forest. They were all busy setting up the wedding. If she was going to leave, now was her chance. Immediately she grabbed her things and raced into the forest. Thankfully she was unnoticed.

She wandered the forest until she reached a fork in the road. There was the way safe travelers went and then there was the way no one went through because it was known to be cursed land. There was an eerie vibe emitting from that area, but she had to enter regardless.

She wandered into the night. Iyo must have been extremely desperate to enter this far into the forest. Everything was dark and hard to see through the thick trees. The moon was incredibly bright, but it was still too shadowy to see. She wondered if she'd ever get through.

Finally, after mindless wandering, Yuki saw a clearing. In that large but sinister looking clearing was a castle with high turrets and gargoyles along the edges of the roofing. That meant someone lived deep in these parts. That also meant that her brother could have wandered there and was being taken care of right now! She was beginning to feel hopeful again.

She ran up to the front gate that was tightly shut closed. She shook it trying to gain attention from the owners of the dreary and morbid looking castle. She hoped her brother was all right. She hadn't noticed it, but she had begun to cry now. She was in desperate need to know he was okay.

At last someone did hear her shaking of the barred front gate. She watched as the door slowly creeped open. She looked up expecting someone to come out, but when the door completely opened there was no one there. It was rather confusing. How did the door open on its own?

"Um, excuse me," a timid female voice called from just under her on the other side of the gate. "Are you in need of shelter?"

Yuki looked down to see who was talking to her. Immediately she freaked. While screaming very loudly, she fell back on the ground. Standing at the gate was a stuffed animal dog with big boobs, orange hair and was wearing an apron. She was very cute as a stuffed animal, but not as a living one.

"Please don't distress miss," she cooed in a soothing way. "I only wish to help."

"Wh…what the hell are you?!" Yuki gawked freaking out.

"I'm this castle's cook. I heard you shaking the gate and saw you were crying. Are you lost?" The little thing asked her.

"So…there's more like you?" she wondered, still startled by the fact she was talking to a plushy.

"Yes. We live with the master. He's cursed," the dog plush sighed.

Yuki had full composure now. She was calm enough to stand up again. Obviously this thing wouldn't harm her.

"Have you seen any men around here lately?" she asked in desperation. She had to know if this was where her brother was.

"Yes, but the master took them as prisoners. He doesn't like company much. Although I plan to let you in anyway to let you rest for a while," plushy chick announced, hopping up and unlocking the gate.

Immediately, Yuki ran in. she didn't even care that she knocked over the stuffed chick as she ran into the castle. Iyo had to be in there somewhere. It would have been too much of a coincidence that two guys were prisoners and that her brother and the other guy were missing.

She ran all around giving herself her own tour of the castle. All she wanted was to rescue him.

"Iyo!" She called, "Iyo, where are you?!"

"Miss!" Exclaimed the plushy cook. "Please don't call for them! The master will be extremely furious if he knows you're here!"

"I just want my brother and that other man and then I'll leave!" Yuki whined to her. She called his name again, "Iyo!"

"Wait! I'll help you get him, but you must shush!" she announced.

"You will?" She gawked.

"Yes, but remember. Quiet!"

"Thank you, um…miss?" Yuki whispered, curious.

"I am Orihime," the plushy dog announced cutely. "Now, follow me and I'll show you to your brother."

She nodded and followed Orihime into the dark dungeons of the castle, which was located in a tall tower far from other places. So far there had been no other stuffed animals in the way. At least until they reached the door to their destination. There was a little stuffed bear with normal peasants clothes and blonde hair, lying on the floor. He seemed to be just lounging there. He was asleep.

Orihime approached him and shook him awake. He seemed to be the one watching the dungeon at the time.

"Urahara. Urahara wake up!" She called, pouting.

The bear instantly awoke with a start. He looked alert now. He looked all around and then at Yuki.

"Is that another prisoner?" he asked, sighing.

"No, she came to retrieve the other two. Do you still have the keys to their cells?" Orihime asked cautiously.

"Well yes, but…wont the master get mad?" Urahara wondered hesitantly.

"Yes, but you and I both know he's a hopeless cause. These people don't need to be dragged down as well," Orihime pouted.

"I guess that's true," he mumbled. "Fine, but make haste. I have a bad feeling about this."

Urahara let them by, following close behind though. He was unsure if this was the best thing to do, but he already said he'd do it so there was no choice in the matter any more.

Yuki eagerly paced all the cells, searching for her brother or the man that attempted to rescue him. She was lucky. They were both in the same cell, chained to the walls. Joyously she raced up to the bars crying a little.

"Iyo! I found you!" she exclaimed happily.

Orihime and Urahara winced as she said that. She was very loud.

Iyo looked up weakly and then was shocked at who he saw. It was his sister. She had come to his rescue.

"Yuki? Why did you come?! It's dangerous! Get out!" He yelled, scared.

"No!" she said, motioning Urahara to open the cell. "I'm going to let you guys out."

The cell opened and she raced to his side. She stole the keys from Urahara and began to try them to see which ones would work. Finally she got it and undid his chains. After he was free she freed the other guy.

Iyo couldn't find himself to argue with his determined sister anymore. She had successfully reached to castle unscathed. Hopefully they would make it out soon.

Suddenly a horrible kind of howling noise emitted from deep within the castle. It was bloodcurdling and sounded like whoever made it was pissed.

Everyone looked extremely worried. They all knew who it was.

"Quickly!" Orihime exclaimed, "Run!"

With that command everyone ran like hell down the many flights of elegant stairs. They were about fifty feet from the door to go outside when the howling came again only louder this time. Actually there were words coming from him this time in a voice that was just as spine chilling as the howl.

"How dare you enter my castle?! Get out!" Screamed the master as he sprinted down the steps.

Yuki didn't get to look at him though because Iyo grabbed her sleeve and pulled her the rest of the way outside. They had almost made it to the gate when suddenly a monstrous being jumped out in front of them, blocking their path. He was incredibly tall, towering over them all. He was defiantly not human though. He had long orange hair; his skin was pure white with black markings in some spots where his torn clothing subsided. He also had protruding form his backside a wicked tail that whipped about as he stood before them. In the center of his chest there was a hole as black as pitch. It was very disturbing to look at. His face could not be seen. Instead there was a white mask with red stripe type things down the side, under one of the eyes and on the chin. His eyes, through the mask, were a pure but horrifying shade of yellow surrounded by a veil of black.

Yuki screamed. She had never seen such a creature in her life. He was truly terrifying. She couldn't believe that a creature such as this existed. What was he?

"How dare you let them out and how dare you let another trespass in MY castle!" The horrid creature screamed at Orihime and Urahara. He grabbed them both in his clawed hands.

"Master, we are sorry, but the girl only wished to save her brother," Orihime explained truthfully.

"I don't give a damn what she came here for! You still let her in!" the beastly creature yelled.

"We are sorry!" Urahara butted in.

"Once again," the monster shrieked. "I don't care!"

Quickly, the master of the castle took the little stuffed beings and ripped them apart so they were immobilized. Thankfully they weren't dead, just a little torn up.

Yuki and Iyo and the other guy were still frozen in their tracks at the horrid beast before them.

"Now to deal with you!" he growled inching towards them. He looked like was going to kill them.

Yuki knew that she only came for her brother. It didn't really matter if she returned right? She had a stupid fiancé now who she didn't want to marry in the first place. She could evade marriage this way at least.

"Stop!" She yelled at him. "Please let them go! I will stay here of my own free will and will do whatever you wish. PLEASE!" she begged with all her might, crying.

The master stopped in his tracks. He was shocked that there was such a selfless girl. He glared at her through is mask.

"You mean that…_girl!?_" He snarled.

"Yes! Just let them go!" She bawled.

Immediately the master of the castle shut the gates and locked them. Then, he grabbed Iyo, and the other man and threw them over the gate, leaving himself with Yuki. The two men were too frightened to stay near the castle. They ran off quickly.

Yuki had wandered over to the unmoving Orihime and Urahara. She looked at their torn and tattered bodies and cried.

The master came up to her unpleasantly. He seemed always annoyed.

She viciously turned to him bawling.

"How could you do that to them?!" they were only trying to help me!" she yelled.

"Peh," he snorted arrogantly. "I don't give a rats ass for them or anyone else!"

She glared at him, knowing right away that she wasn't ever going to like him. He was absolutely cruel. He was actually worse than Aizen. She hated him!

"What are you?!" She yelled furiously.

The master's eyes narrowed before he answered, "I am a Hollow. There is nothing else you need to know." He growled, and then hit her upon the head making her black out.

( Oh no! She's stuck living with a Hollow now! LOL. I'm sorry that I used the name 'The Other Guy' I was just being lazy and didn't want to make up a name or use someone from Bleach, so I apologize for that…even though it is a little funny. I hope you liked this chapter! I'll update as soon as I can!)


	3. Chapter 3: Imprisonment

(Thank you for reading so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter.)

Disclaimer: I don't own bleach

Chapter 3: Imprisonment

When Yuki woke up she was in a dank cell in the dungeon of that hollow's castle. She was grateful that Iyo could return home, but now she was the hollow's prisoner by will. She hated it, but had already agreed to his terms. She sighed as she noticed her arms were chained to the wall. She was apparently that untrustworthy.

She felt so alone now though and she still felt bad for Urahara and Orihime. The hollow just tore them apart abusively. She wanted to help them. She couldn't see how they could stand living with such a cruel master. Even if they are stuffed animals, they don't need that kind of treatment! She sighed once more in her solitary confinement.

"Hey you, the master wishes for me to retrieve you," grumbled a new voice. This time the stuffed animal was a lot different than what she'd seen before. He was completely blue, as was his hair, and he was a cat. She kind of gawked at him.

"What? You never seen a talking stuffed animal before?" He grouched impatiently.

"Well, I'm still getting used to it," she sighed, bleakly.

"Whatever," said the plushy as he entered the cell and unlocked her shackles.

Yuki dropped to the floor with a light thud. She wondered what the master wanted her to do. She didn't really want to help him, but she agreed so she had to keep her word.

She followed the blue cat down the spiraling staircase, then down another flight of stairs that led through the east wing of the castle. Finally, they went down one more flight of stairs after that and into a room. The room was scarcely lit with only a fire and two oil lamps for lighting. Sitting in an eloquent armchair sat the hollow and in random placed a few other stuffed animals. He didn't seem happy at all to be seeing her.

"I brought the prisoner," grumbled the cat plushy, not even bothering with honorifics.

"Send her over then Grimmjow!" the hollow growled in a very annoyed tone.

The cat motioned her to come over. She did, out of curiosity. She was wondering what he wished of her. She stopped blankly in front of him.

There was a long pause before the monster decided to speak. He pulled something out from behind him and threw it at her.

"Fix them!" he hissed.

Yuki peered at the ground where whatever he threw landed. It was the beaten and battered bodies of Urahara and Orihime. She quickly picked them up, although she wasn't sure how she was going to sew them up. Unfortunately she didn't know how. It wasn't necessarily needed where she had lived before.

"Well, go fix them!" the hollow exclaimed, almost yelling at her.

Quickly, she ran out. He had startled her. She wasn't sure where to go because he hadn't sent her back to the dungeon. She found her way into a room and set the bodies on the floor. She really hated being a prisoner. How was she going to get the only people that were nice to her fixed? She really needed help.

Suddenly, the door creaked open to a slight. Another plushy being wandered in. he was a white rabbit with black hair and he wore glasses. He came wandering in with a box that was almost too big for him to carry. He set it in front of her and looked her in the eye.

"Hello," he announced straightforwardly. "I'm Uryu."

Yuki looked back at him with her bright blue eyes. She didn't know why this guy had shown up. She kind of just sat there in a confused way.

"You cant sew can you?" Uryu asked, taking a needle and thread from his box.

"Can you?" Yuki asked hopefully.

"Of course! I was the royal tailor before I was transformed into this," Uryu informed as he began to sew up Urahara. He was amazingly fast and accurate.

Urahara was up and running within minutes. This amazed her so much. She watched as Uryu began to sew Orihime.

"You were human at one time?" she wondered, seriously.

"Of course. We all were. Even the master," He informed, finishing up with the female dog plushy.

Yuki was confused now. They were all human? The hollow was even human once? She was so intrigued now.

"How did you guys get like this?" she asked, astonished.

Orihime was up and running and so now she decided to carry on the conversation.

"Our master, well… he was a very spoiled prince, but none to kind to anyone. Especially members of his own family. One cold winter's night a bruised and beaten man came to the door asking for some food and shelter. The master refused immediately and attempted to beat said beggar man. Suddenly, the old man changed into a being much like us. He was a stuffed lion with a tutu and a wand as ridiculous as that may sound," Orihime sighed. "He was the a mighty plushy enchanter. He knew our master was too cruel to keep as he was so he cursed him and the entire castle."

Yuki just gawked. She had never even known of such a thing to happen. The world had more magic in it than she realized.

"So you're cursed?" she asked concerned about the whole ordeal.

"Yes. We'll live and die until the master breathes his last breathe," Uryu butted in with a sigh.

"I feel so bad for you guys," Yuki pouted. "Why would you even work for such a cruel master as the hollow?"

All three of them went speechless. They were too afraid to say. It seemed that they were unsure of their reasons for staying.

"You, girl!" Grimmjow arrived through the door with an annoyed expression. "If Orihime and Urahara are all sewed up then you have to return to your cell immediately. C'mon!"

Yuki stood up with a sigh. She did not want to return to the dungeon, but she wasn't going to disobey the orders of the hollow. There was too much of a risk that he'd destroy another servant.

She slowly followed Grimmjow up the many flights of stairs and back to the cell. She sighed as she went in and moped on the floor. The cell was cold now as the night breeze came in with a small draft.

Before Grimmjow left he said, "If you can find it in your heart… save the master for our sakes." Then he left.

Yuki sighed once more. She was confused on what he meant. Why and how could she ever save such a horrible monster? She hated him! She didn't think she could ever find it in her heart to ever get to like him. She fell asleep with those thoughts in mind.

(There's chapter 3. I hope you all like it so far. School keeps me kind of busy so sorry if I cant get this updated quickly. I'll update as soon as I can though!)


	4. Chapter 4: The Porcelain Doll

**(Ah! It feels so good to be uploading a new chapter! It's like a big weight is off my chest. Enjoy! ^^)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own bleach**

**Chapter 4: The Porcelain Doll**

It had been a few days since Yuki arrived at the castle. Since then she had been living in a confined dungeon cell that was unfit for human living. The nights were viciously cold as it was mid November. There wasn't much she could do. Orihime would come in and check on her every once in a while to bring her a blanket, but it was usually never enough. Also, she was refusing to eat do to her sudden depression. She just had no will for it.

"Let me talk to the master about giving you better accommodations," Orihime told her on a recent visit that morning.

She just nodded, not really into the conversation. There wasn't much she could really do.

She was sure though that if she was still in town and married to Aizen that she would act the very same way. Was it possible that she wasn't ever meant to be happy? She thought so. She sighed hard in her prison and peered out the small window allowed to her.

It was dark outside. The waning moon was covered in a barrage of clouds. It was surprising that there was no snow yet this winter. She wondered when it would ever happen. The clouds had been there for two days now. Where they just passing through? She wished she could just _pass through. _Then she could go back home to make sure Iyo had returned home safely.

A cold winter breeze blew in through the unpaned window and chilled the poor captive girl. She wrapped a thin blanket that her friend had brought her and curled up on the floor. Maybe if she was lucky she would die down there and not have to be held a willing captive for the rest of her life. She was wondering if hollow was ever going to ask for her again. In reality He probably didn't have much use for her. She really wondered why he agreed to let her stay.

Suddenly the door creaked open. She expected Grimmjow to come in with another meal that she wouldn't eat. Or it would be Orihime or Urahara coming for a visit. Instead, it was the person she least expected. The hollow himself had come in there to see her. His tail swung around as he looked at her through his scary, but stoic mask. In one hand he held the door open and in the other was the dungeon cell keys. There was an unpleasant vibe about him now though, like he just lost an argument.

Silently, he walked up to the cell and unlocked the door. He then walked in and paused when he reached her.

"I'm only letting you out because Orihime begged me to take you out," he growled, finally unlocking her shackles.

Yuki dropped to the floor lightly. To her it seemed like it was less what Orihime wanted than what he wanted. It didn't seem like he would do anything for that plushy even if she begged on her hands and knees.

She glanced at him from her spot on the floor. She hadn't stood up in so long. Her legs were trying to get used to no being outstretched now.

"Get up or you're no getting a tour of the castle," grumbled the hollow heading out the door.

Yuki quickly stood up saying, "Yes sir." She felt like she was one her first day at a job or something.

Without so much as an acknowledging nod to her, the hollow strode from the dungeon and went into the east wing of his castle. He toured her everywhere except fro the west side.

"You stay out of the west side, got it!" he hissed to her. He had just shown her, her room.

"Yes sir," she muttered indiscriminately.

"Good. Dinner is being prepared at this very moment. Someone will come and get you when it's done." He announced as he turned around, beginning to march off to a deeper part of the castle.

As he left, Yuki stuck her tongue out at him. She was defiantly not going to eat dinner with him. She would rather die.

Instead of going into her room she snuck off and wandered the halls of the castle. Trying to stay as covert as possible she made her way to the west side of the palace. The hollow had something to hide up there, but she didn't know what. There was a determination in her to find out now. Slowly she slunk up some flights of stairs until she passed by many rooms. These were even more eloquent than the ones one the other side. These ones were meant for royalty. Even so they looked like they hadn't been used in many years.

At the far end of the hall was a lone room. It appeared to be the only one in use. She digressed toward it and was shocked at what she found. The entire room was in ruin. Everything was broken to bits. There wasn't even a single piece of usable furniture there except a small end table that sat next to the broken window. One this end table sat a lone porcelain doll under a glass container.

She approached further, growing ever curious about the doll under the glass. At a closer glance she noticed how strongly the doll resembled the hollow, only it seemed more human. The doll had shorter orange hair with extravagant princely clothing. It the center of its body was a heart shape. Two thirds of it was black while the rest was red. The dolls face could not be seen because it was wearing the exact same mask as the master of the castle.

Now, she was quite intrigued by this strange, breakable doll. She lifted the glass casing and attempted to hold the doll as to get an overall effect. She wondered why it was under such protection.

Suddenly, a raging boom came from behind her. "What the hell are you doing?! Get away from that!" the hollow raced after her and snatched the porcelain doll from her grasp. He put it back under protection, and then turned viciously toward her.

"I told you to stay out of this side of the castle!" he yelled, livid.

"I'm sorry. I was only looking I…" she started.

"Get out now!" he yelled scratching down at a wall causing wood splinters to fly in every which way.

"Please, I did you no harm," Yuki argued, trying to apologize.

"I said leave damn it!" The hollow screeched. He threw a broken piece of a wardrobe towards her, and then swiped down with his claws. He hit the left side of her shoulder causing it to bleed. He was really pissed.

Frightened that he may kill her, Yuki ran out of the tyrant's room and headed for any door that went outside. Some of the household attendants tried to stop her, but she didn't even give them a second thought. She was leaving and that was final.

She ran out as quickly as she could, trying her hardest to leave that place. By now, she was crying her eyes out. There was no way in hell she was staying with that horrible monster. She would rather go back home and marry Aizen!

By now she had found her way outside the castle gates and was on her way back home. The only problem was that it was too dark to find the path to get back home. She was lost, in the dark, cold forest at night. She was doomed to die. Plus her stamina was extremely low due to her not eating. All that mixed in with that fact that her left shoulder was bleeding and wouldn't stop, was getting to her badly.

She began to feel dizzy as she walked. She was losing too much blood. There was no way she was going to make it through the night. Animals like wolves or bears were bound to smell her blood and come for her. She was doomed to die.

Quietly she accepted her defeat and lay on the stone cold ground. She could feel her life leaving her in the form of blood. Her vision was beginning to blur as she looked up at the sky. The clouds were still there, but something had changed. It started to snow. She sighed. She thought it was strange to die in something that was her namesake. She was at least happy to see it finally came though.

It was strange how one person can be so particular about a porcelain doll. She meant it no harm. She would never do that, even to a person such as he. She wondered why he was so fiercely protective of it. Did it have to do with the curse he was under? There was so much she wondered about him, but still would rather not stay with him. He was so horridly abusive.

Surely it didn't matter now though. She was dying. She shut her eyes, calmly accepting her fate; the cold snow accumulating on her face. She blanked out.

**(Sorry to end this chapter on a cliffhanger. *Evil smile* I will update the next chapter when I can, because we all want to know what will happen next. Yesh. Until then…uh...Bye! ^_^)**


	5. Chapter 5: Guilt

**(Yay! Chapter 5 is up now. Hahah! *High-spirited* I wrote it more in the viewpoint of the hollow for this chapter. Enjoy!)**

**Chapter 5: Guilt**

For a while the hollow was glad that that stupid girl had left his sights. He didn't care if she died either. A woman that couldn't do what she was told deserved to die. What if she were to break his porcelain doll? His curse never would be lifted then. He guessed it didn't matter though, he was hopeless anyway. He only had a few months left.

He stared at his miniature doll self. A vast portion his humanity was trapped in there. Very soon his entire soul would reside there and he would be nothing but an empty monster. A real hollow. He coursed his fingers along the glass casing, pondering how fragile the doll was. It was only then that he noticed the blood on his colorless fingers. He had almost forgotten that, in a fit of rage, he attacked that girl. Truthfully he believed he went a bit overboard. Unfortunately he always went overboard.

He stood up and sighed. He lightly treaded over to his broken window. The gates could be seen from his location. The faint scent of blood tinged the air. Suddenly, the hollow had the slightest worry for the girl. Was she going to be all right? He shook off the notion and sat back down.

Why should he ever care? She was just a hindrance to him. She could not do anything right and constantly distracted his servants. There was no point in keeping her around. Well, other than the fact that he was lonelier than he thought, and she could potentially break the curse on him. That was the first time he really thought of her in that way.

The hollow stood up and began pacing about. He was having an inner debate with himself whether or not to go out to find his captive. He was beginning to worry about her. She was the first woman he'd seen in a long time. The more he thought about her out there in the cold, wilderness alone and hurt the more vexed he became. His own inner turmoil was tearing him to peaces. What if a wild animal caught scent of her blood? They would most certainly devour her.

He cautiously glanced out the window once more to see the snow falling lightly from the sky. At that point he couldn't take it anymore. Without any further thinking, he grabbed a random cloak that had fallen out of his wardrobe, bundled it up under his arm and hurried down the stairs with haste.

He called to Orihime who was just watching him with confusion, "I'm going out. Watch the castle while I'm away." He was sure she already knew why he was going out. It kind of embarrassed him.

He followed the scent of blood until he finally found her. She was lying motionless on the ground and covered in a light blanket of snow. The area around her left shoulder was painted red by her blood. He wasn't sure if she was dead or alive. Quickly he wrapped her up in the cloak he brought just for this incidental occasion, and picked her up without bothering to check for a pulse. He ran her back and set her by the fireplace, hoping dearly that she would survive. He had no idea how to keep her alive though.

His servants came and tended to her wound and kept her warm. They even checked her pulse. She had a very faint heartbeat. She at least was going to survive for the moment. That gave the hollow some relief. That meant that he had saved her in the nick of time.

Soberly he wandered on up to his room once more. He was confused by his actions. He barely even knew her, so why did he save her. Was he really that desperate to ease his curse? Or maybe it was something more than that. He couldn't understand his actions though. Instead he thought maybe to sort them out by retiring for the night. Then he might be able to decipher his own strange feelings for the girl he thought he disliked. He gently curled up on his wreck of a bed and went into a deep slumber.

**(Well that was chapter 5. Sorry it was a bit short….Awe well. I'll update the next chapter when I can. =3)**


	6. Chapter 6: Trust

(RAWR! I FINALLY UPDATED! ENJOI!)

Chapter 6: Trust

"Do you think she's ever going to wake up?" Yuki could hear Orihime's voice lightly call next to her.

"Well, she lost a lot of blood, but I think she'll be up soon," Uryu answered.

"She better. She is our last damn chance at being human," Grimmjow growled sourly.

"I don't even think she was a chance at all. I know I could never forgive the master for what he did," Uryu mumbled sourly.

The room went utterly silent after that. The pitter-patter of their tiny plushie feet exiting the room was the only thing she heard. Once they were all gone, Yuki opened her eyes. She was feeling extremely weak. She was confused and disoriented. Slowly she sat up. A sharp pain emitted from her shoulder. She glanced at it to see that it had been dressed and was in the process of healing. A thought occurred in her mind. How did she end up back in the castle? Previously she thought she was going to die in the middle of the woods. Who brought her back? Wasn't the hollow going to be furious that she was back in his castle? Maybe she should leave before he knew about her.

She shuffled to the edge of her bed. She planned to go back home now that her wound was dressed. Noticing she was only in a nightgown she looked around for her normal clothes. They were nowhere in sight. She decided that she could always get more clothes. She stood up, dizzily and slipped her feet into the slippers at the end of the bed. She then quietly peeked out the door to see if anyone was coming. There was no one.

Yuki left her room as quickly and as quietly as possible. Unfortunately her ability to stay up and walk was diminishing. She was still so weak. She began to lean against the wall as she walked. Sadly the side she decided to lean against was the side with her injured shoulder. She moaned from the pain, but continued. She was determined to leave the castle without letting the hollow ever know she was there.

The more she toddled along the weaker she became. It was a surprise she hadn't stumbled and fallen yet. There was so much of the castle that she had yet to get through before she could leave. She sighed. There was no way she could get there. Someone was bound to find her. She decided to fall over and give up at that very moment.

Unexpectedly she did not fall. Someone, more actually the only person big enough to catch her, did. She cringed as she peered back at the hollow. He was always so intimidating to look at. She wondered how mad he was at her now. She did somehow end up back in his castle when he clearly kicked her out.

"Please don't hurt me," she pleaded.

Totally ignoring her question the hollow asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Please, I don't know how I got here!" she whined desperately.

He ignored her again and dragged her back the way she had come. He took her back to her room and led her all the way up to the bed. Then he finally let go of her.

"Lay down," he demanded.

Yuki cautiously lie down. There wasn't anything else she could do for fear of being murdered by the hollow. She stared at him, waiting to see what he'd do next.

He was already next to the door. Actually he was on his way out. He peered back at her.

"I'll have Orihime bring you up dinner. Stay there," he said then turned away in the threshold. "Also…I'm sorry I hurt you. I was very inappropriate."

That last set of words sounded extremely awkward, but sincere. He raced out after that. There seemed to be some concern in his voice as well.

Yuki could hardly believe what he just said. Was that an apology? She never thought a monster like him was capable of an apology, but of course that's all she really thought of him as. She forgot that he was once human and could act as one when he wished.

She sat there and waited for Orihime to come. She had to know if the hollow was the one who took her back.

When Orihime came through the door she was all excited to see Yuki awake. She almost spilled the soup on her tray. She managed to get it on the end table though. Once she did that she sprang up and gave her a big old hug.

"Oh I'm so glad you're okay! The master was so worried about you!" she exclaimed euphorically.

"He…was worried?" She asked all confused.

"Of course! He felt so guilty about hurting you that he actually went after you and rescued you from death. He was so anxious for your survival," Orihime informed.

That was a lot easier than Yuki thought. Orihime went out and told her the hollow saved her at about the same time as the conversation started. Regardless, she wasn't relieved by this fact. To her it just showed how desperate he and everyone else were to become human. She supposed though that she could forgive him a little. He did save her life, even if it were for his own gain.

"He was that desperate to become human huh?" She replied coldly, hugging her knees.

Orihime frowned. "I don't think that's why he saved you at all," she informed, standing up for her master.

"You can say that all you want but I'm extremely familiar with male motives. They only want things for their own gain and that includes your master," Yuki replied icily. She was thinking about all those jackass men back home. Almost every day for as long as she can remember they have all been after her. She shuddered at the mere thought of them.

"Other than the master, I think you have issues of your own," Orihime growled. She was getting annoyed with her. "You act so cold to just about everyone and you're suspicious of everything. You should open your eyes a little and see that not everyone is out to get you." With that she turned on her heel and left Yuki alone with her soup.

Yuki sighed at she picked up her bowl of soup. Her first little slurp was horrible. It was so bitterly sweet that she began to gag. Even though it was horrid, she finished up the soup without complaining. It was Orihime's food after all.

She never realized that Orihime would get so mad at her for saying that. She also knew what that little plushie dog was saying was absolutely right. She did have trust issues, because she knew that when a man befriended her in the village they were attempting to win her over so she would eventually marry them. Plus the women were so jealous of her so her only real friend was Iyo. Hopefully he big brother was safe at home and not worrying about her. He needed to live his life with a wife of his own.

Sadly, she lay in her bed. Her energy levels had gone down from earlier. She dozed off into a troubled slumber. Her mind was all in a jumble. She wondered if what Orihime said really was the truth. Maybe she needed to think about that more.

The next morning she was well enough to leave her bed and stroll around the castle. She went looking for Orihime to go apologized for her own arrogance. She found her easily.

"Hi Orihime," she greeted casually.

"Hmph," the plushie pouted.

"I'm sorry for how I acted," Yuki sighed. "I shouldn't have acted the way I did."

She peered back at her, but was still frowning though. She was pondering a thought.

"I'll forgive you if you do this one thing for me," she said.

"I'll do as you ask," she sighed.

Orihime got closer to Yuki now. They were eye to eye.

"Please just get to know the master a little better. That's all I ask of you," she announced shyly.

Yuki sighed more audibly than she had before, but nodded in agreement to what she said. She couldn't just thin about herself in a place like this. There were others who depended on her to regain her humanity. She left Orihime after that.

On her way back to her room the hollow mysteriously entered the hall. He paused there for a moment to peer at her. His long white body stood up erectly as he did so. In his talon like hands he held navy blue dress. He tossed it at her without much thought and she almost didn't catch it.

"Wear that when you come to dinner tonight…if you decide to come," he murmured gruffly. He departed with her and went downstairs to do whatever he felt like doing.

For a moment she just stared at the dress. It wasn't all that fancy, but it was still pretty. She took it to her room to contemplate whether or not to come to dinner. She wouldn't be good for conversations at dinnertime, but she also promised to get to know the hollow.

At around dinnertime the hollow waited impatiently for that girl to come down for dinner. He was unconfident of her arrival to come eat with him. He did injure her after all. He promised himself that he wouldn't get mad if she didn't come, but he was finding it extremely hard. This was the first time he'd really tried to control his temper.

He was so impatient that he kept on asking his servants where she was. They were sure she wasn't coming down to see him. He was so annoyed about her not coming that he pouted in a corner and glanced out one of his huge windows.

It took her a while, but Yuki finally decided to go and eat dinner with the hollow. He was glaring out a window in the dinning room. He looked pretty peeved. Softly, she cleared her throat.

He peered back surprised to see her there. He just sat there silently for a minute.

"I've come for dinner," Yuki said cautiously.

He remained silent.

She stood there, silent now. She was too scared to go and make herself comfortable at the table.

"Where's the dress I gave you?" The hollow finally asked.

Yuki glanced at her garb. She had almost forgotten that she was wearing the clothes she had worn all day. She really didn't want to wear the dress.

"It's upstairs. I didn't want to wear it…" Yuki trailed quietly.

"Oh," the hollow paused. "I was hoping you would wear it."

Frustrated beyond compare from all the thinking she did that day, Yuki turned around and stomped upstairs. She was thinking, _Fine! I'll put on the damned dress!_

"Where the hell do you think you're going!" The hollow yelled at her, also frustrated. He wasn't able to hold in any more yells.

Yuki was ignoring his hollering and yelling and quickly put the dress on and made herself up for dinner. If he wanted her to wear the dress then fine! She would wear it. She made it back downstairs and glared at him.

The hollow once again became silent. He never realized that she went back up to get redressed. He sighed and sat back to sit in his seat.

She didn't bother to ask. She just went to the seat farthest from him and sat to eat. She was completely silent.

The little plushie servants came and served them their food (which was cold by now). Both the hollow and Yuki were nonsocial for over half the meal.

The hollow was the one who broke the silence. "How's your shoulder?" he asked, quietly.

She was in the middle of stirring her food around with a fork and not eating, but she answered his question.

"It hurts," she mumbled, almost sarcastically.

He sat and watched her mess with her food unhappily. Although his face could not be shown because of the mask he seemed troubled. It was the first time he actually felt sorry for something he did. His last shot at becoming human again was totally being foiled because of his cruel nature. He needed to fix it.

"If you got to know me better would you trust me?" the hollow asked her hopefully.

She was silent. All she did was stare at him with a very cold expression. She had no answer for him. She didn't know if she could ever trust him.

He clenched his fists, and then quickly stood up. He seemed even more frustrated than before. It looked like he was going to yell again.

"Very well then. Good night," he murmured. He rapidly paced from the dinning area to his room.

Yuki sighed once more. She was shocked. He hadn't yelled at her. Maybe she should give him another chance. He could be like her friend Keigo, not pleasant thoughts on the outside, but knew when to stop. Plus the plushies counted on her to become human again. She had to try for the sake of her new friends.

(Hmmm…I didn't like this chapter very much…. GAH! I'll write a better one soon…. and update when I can.)


	7. Chapter 7: New Understanding

**(-_- Man…I do hate the mundane….It keeps me from updating quickly. I hope you enjoy this chapter ^.^)**

**Chapter 7: New Understanding**

Keigo was incredibly worried since Yuki mysteriously disappeared that night which was now over a few weeks ago. He wasn't the only one though. All the men were, including Aizen, who was supposed to have married her the day after that night. What made matters worse was that her brother and the man sent to retrieve him had returned without her. Everyone kept asking them what happened, but both men were traumatized beyond compare, although Iyo kept mumbling stuff like "The Hollow". What happened out there?

He was on his way to go talk with his said friend's brother. Quietly he knocked on the door. Iyo answered it shakily, still frightened of what happened in the forest. He could barely talk without stuttering.

"Y…yes?" he answered in but a low murmur.

"Are you sure you cant answer where your sister went?" Keigo asked, hopeful that he might be able to.

Iyo panicked a little. His eyes widened as he began to pace in the doorway. He bit his lip, as his breathing grew harsh. He was obviously experiencing some truly horrid memories.

"Hollow…the hollow…she… she," he stressed himself out so badly that he collapsed to the ground. At a closer glance Keigo realized that he was very pale and his skin was very warm.

Quickly, he dragged the sick man back into his home to rest. He must have gotten ill from worrying about Yuki and the shock he was still in. what kind of being was this "hollow" and what did it have to do with Iyo's sister Yuki? He waited for him to awaken.

When Iyo woke up he seemed a little calmer than before. He peered at Keigo through dim, glazed eyes. He gulped a couple of times before saying, "Yuki…is the hollow's prisoner."

Keigo backed off some. What did he mean by Yuki was the hollow's prisoner? He came up to the man, searching for a better answer, but he was back in traumatic mode once more. He sighed and left the ill man to wallow in his unpleasant memories. Aizen would not be pleased about this. ~

The first couple of days after that dinner the hollow became more introverted towards Yuki. He hadn't forced her to do anything and was never seen. She wondered if it was because of what she said or a lack of what she said. He was such a strange creature. She'd asked Orihime about it, but she told her that everything was just fine. The master was only trying to work on his self-control before proving his worth to her.

Yuki believed the plushy dog for the most part, but now a week had passed. How much longer was she going to have to wait? It was the middle of winter! Time was running short. If he couldn't get a grip on himself soon it would be too late to save him.

Plus the more she waited the more annoyed by the prospect that he was only doing this just to use her. Lately she'd been thinking of running away from the behemoth's castle. He had given her (vicious) permission once, so she technically wouldn't be running away. The idea was soon totally thwarted once Grimmjow came to fetch her.

"The master wishes to meet you outside. Don't keep him waiting, and bundle up," he announced in a rather cold manner, then left.

Now that she was finally able to go see him, Yuki bundled up in the clothes set out for her and began to walk her way out to the back garden which was enormous. She stepped out onto the snow-clad ground only to see how ugly the back area was. For a castle it was awfully shoddy. Didn't the hollow have the dignity to take care of his home? It was rather annoying.

She began to wander around, searching for the hollow, who for some reason wasn't showing his face yet. She trailed along the back wall, which was covered in grotesque vines, and many disfigured bushes. She wandered along behind the bushes and was now just snooping around. If the master of the castle were going to ignore her existence than she would do the same.

The wall seemed to go on forever before she came to something interesting. Hidden behind a veil of vines were three statues, actually the third was broken, but it still sparked her curiosity. She tore away the hardly snow covered weeds to find the non-broken statues were of two young girls. One appeared very kind and gentle in her demeanor. The second girl looked strong at heart and full of spunk. She wondered who those girls were. She was also curious on who that third statue was. It was so crumbled to pieces that it was impossible to decipher who or what the third statue was.

"I was hoping you wouldn't find this part of my garden," the hollow's voice wisped solemnly behind her.

With a start she peered around at the ever-emotionless figure standing before her. He had a rather defensive stance at the current moment. He seemed more calm than usual.

"W…who are they?" She dared to ask in but a low cautious voice. Who knew how he'd react. She didn't believe that he had actually learned to control his anger, not a monster like him.

"They were my sisters," they hollow sighed peering in the opposite direction. "They were turned to stone the very moment I was cursed to this form."

"And, who's the third statue?" She asked more confidently. "How was it destroyed?"

By now the hollow was completely turned away from her. He now appeared down.

"I…I must go," he announced awkwardly. He didn't seem mad, but there was a hint of regret in his voice. He cantered off to do his own bidding.

Yuki pouted as he left. Why did he have to exit at such a crucial moment? Finding it trivial to stay outside any longer, she stomped back inside. She could always squeeze the information out of Orihime.

She found her in her usual spot in the kitchen, cooking dinner. It was really hard to tell exactly what concoction she was brewing. It smelled like a stew of some sort. Knowing her it was probably the exact opposite of a stew though.

"Orihime," Yuki asked, sitting in a chair not far off. "Those three statues outside, the third one…who is it? The hollow would not tell me. How did it get smashed to pieces?"

The plushy dog didn't even bother to look at her when she answered.

"The smashed statue was the master's father. That day when he was cursed all his family members turned to stone. In a fit of rage he took it out on his father's statue. He knocked it over, shattering it to pieces. He still regrets it because now he will never come back," she informed sullenly. "I know you remain on the thought that he is a cold heartless monster with no soul, but I know very well that he does have a soul. He feels bad about what he's done to everyone."

Yuki leaned against the table her cheek to her palm. She was annoyed now.

"What am I supposed to do about it?" She grumbled.

"I told you. Get to know him better. Talk to him. He told me himself he wont hurt you anymore," Orihime sighed.

"Yeah, but I don't know what to say to him," she pouted. "He's kind of hard to talk to."

"I wont argue with that. He is hard to talk to, but maybe if you take it slowly with little things he might get easier to speak with. All he wants is for you to trust him. The first step is going to talk to him," she smiled in a cute way.

"But I only know how to handle stupid gu-" Yuki was interrupted in mid-sentence.

"You should do it now, before dinner's done," Orihime said, already herding her out of the kitchen.

She scrambled out uneasily. She stood outside the kitchen door with her hand wrapped around her left arm. She was reflecting on what to say to the hollow. She never had to seriously speak with people in the village, mainly because all the women hated her and all the men wanted to marry her. Iyo was her brother and they had argued sometimes, but they never really got into anything severe. Before she could think of anything totally plausible to say, her legs began to move on their own. Slowly she paced up to the hollow's room.

She cringed as he stopped at his door. He was going to get mad at her for coming up here again she knew it. He had been so furious the last time she had come. He would kill her this time. Regardless of that knowledge she knocked on the door.

There was no reply so she knocked again calling, "Hello? Hollow? Are you present in your chamber?"

For a while there still wasn't any answer, only a low rasping growl that startled her. He was mad. The loud rumble of his feet against the floor clashed with the tense silence of the castle. She watched as the door slowly creaked open from the threshold. She wanted to run but her legs were stiff from fright. If the hollow wanted to he could do her in at that very moment. She gulped as he made his appearance with his ever-frightening mask of white glaring down at her.

His large body towered over her as he asked grumpily, "Why are you up here? Didn't I forbid you not to come up here?!" He did sound very mad. His hands were clenched as you could tell he wanted to strike her down at that moment.

"Yes, but I…at least I knocked," she informed apologetically. That wasn't entirely what she wanted to say. Fortunately for her, the comment made his fists loosen. He didn't seem as mad at her.

"That's a start I guess," he mumbled, retiring back into his room. He shut the door, causing her to just look at it silently in confusion. Was that all he was going to say? At least he hadn't attempted to kill her, right?

She was about to turn and leave when the hollow's unpleasantly inhuman voice called to her.

"Well, aren't you going to come in? You had a reason for coming up here right?" He growled to her.

Shakily she opened the door. The moonlight hardly glowed into the horridly crashed room. She could not see the hollow, only the small porcelain doll that was placed enchantingly in the moonlight. It was the same as the last time she saw it. This time though she knew to keep clear of it.

"You may sit if you want," the master called from a very dark area in a corner. He could not be seen where he was located. Why was he trying so hard to hide?

Yuki blindly walked through the room searching for a chair of some sort, but there was none, only the bed. She sat at the very edge, making sure to stay clear of the middle. It seemed that the center had imploded, so now there was but a giant crater in the center. She skimmed the area where the hollow was profusely with her eyes but was unable to catch his form in the darkness. He could still be mad at her and this was but a trick to lure her in so he could murder her.

"Why are you here?" he finally asked in a bold manner.

She was silent when he asked. It seemed her fright had frozen her once again.

"Well?" He called impatiently, "It's rude to come up here without purpose you know."

_I'm being rude? _She thought but said nothing. She was fairly hesitant on what to say to him. Orihime told her to start small and go slowly, but she couldn't think of how or what to talk about. She could hear the frustration welling from the hollow. There was only so much patience he could muster in one day. She was wearing it thin. Quickly she took a crapshoot.

"Do you really regret destroying your father," she said it in such a heartless tone that she herself was surprised by it. She had not meant to say it quite like that. She glanced at the shadow cautiously. He was awfully quiet. She was talking about a supposedly difficult subject for him. Nice going, she had started on too large of a subject for him. She peered down at her feet, sighing.

"So someone told you about what I did," he muttered quietly. "Orihime no doubt. I suppose it cannot be helped, but why do you want to know? You just think I'm a cruel monster that doesn't care about anything but myself." His words were so cold as he spoke to her.

Yuki wanted to tell him that was the truth, but there was something about him this time that made her stop. She wasn't even afraid anymore. He was acting relatively tame.

"I only think that because that's all you have shown me. I…I'm trying to help you now. I'm doing as you asked. You want me to trust you right?" she asked, no longer a thread of fear ran through her being.

It seemed the hollow had been taken aback. He never anticipated she would actually give him a chance. He didn't deserve one that's for sure. Not for all the terrible things he'd done.

"As much as you think otherwise, I do regret destroying my father," he sighed. "I was just lucky enough that I ran out of energy after that or my sisters would be gone as well." This was the most sincere Yuki had ever heard the hollow talk. Now she even felt a little sorry for him. Gradually she began to ask him more questions. Each time he was precautious at first, but eventually grew comfortable with talking to her. She ended up finding a lot about him.

After answering a multitude of Yuki's questions the hollow had but one for her. "Do you miss home?"

Yuki wavered for a minute then she answered him as truthfully as possible.

"I only miss my brother, the rest has been none too kind to me," she sighed.

"Very well," he said. "You may go. I'm sure Orihime's done with dinner by now."

She merely nodded and walked her way back down stairs. She found that she was basically alone at the dinner table. The hollow refused to come down that night. Once again Orihime told her it was all fine. Yuki apparently had a look of concern on her face.

After dinner, Yuki went straight to bed. She lay there thinking about her conversation with the hollow. He really wasn't all that bad. Orihime was right. For some reason she could kind of relate to him. Maybe she could save him after all. She smiled as she drifted off to the first peaceful slumber in a long time. ~

Keigo was absolutely correct. Aizen was definitely not pleased. The woman he was going to marry ran off the day they were supposed to wed to go save her stupid brother. Now she was missing and her brother was too mentally unstable to take care of himself. He only stated the obvious that she was some hollow's prisoner. For the past few weeks he'd sent out many of the village men to find her, but she was impossible to greet. He was very persistent though and would continue to search for her into eternity. He was determined to marry that woman at all costs.

**(Whoo! I finally wrote this chappie. For some reason it took me much longer than usual to finish…*Sigh* I hope everyone liked it. -_- I will update the next as soon as I can.)**


	8. Chapter 8: Finally Free

**(Yay things are finally starting to get better for Yuki. ^.^Thank you everyone who reviewed. I hope you enjoy this chapter.)**

**Chapter 8: Finally Free**

Day by day Yuki and the hollow would come see each other. The more she came to know him the more she liked him. Deep down he was a good person that really did feel bad about what he did. It made her kind of guilty that she had been mean to him at a time. Orihime was totally right about getting to know him. Yes, he did have his moments were he lost his temper, but he was using his best efforts to keep it under control for her sake. She hadn't had friends in a long time. It felt good to have them.

Days turned into weeks and soon enough the winter had completely turned into spring. There was no doubt that Yuki was much happier in the castle than at home other than the fact that she missed her brother dearly. The hollow knew this and always had an aura of concern whenever she mentioned it. He already had the knowledge that she liked his castle, but regardless she had been here since November. It was now the beginning of May. The heart shape in the center of the porcelain doll was almost completely filled red. There was no way she could break his curse by then. He would soon have to let her go, even though he didn't want to. She was the first woman he'd ever met that gave him a second chance. He'd be lonely without her.

"What's wrong?" Yuki asked the hollow. He seemed troubled.

"It's nothing," the hollow called in his ever-familiar unearthly voice.

"Um…okay," She said and wandered off to find someone else to talk to. Lately her friend had become down. This wasn't the first time that she asked him what was wrong, but he refused to talk to her about it. It frustrated her, but he was stubborn. There was no way she could get the truth out of him.

"Orihime, do you know what's wrong with the hollow?" she asked Orihime who was off playing cards with Urahara.

The small dog plushy turned from the game to answer. She looked totally serious.

"I'm not really sure. He's being more secretive than usual," she sighed dismally.

Orihime's answer made her sigh. She wished the hollow would just tell her if something was bothering him. She trusted him now and he said he trusted her, but how could that be true when he wouldn't tell her what was wrong. Sadly she wandered outside to get some fresh air.

She wandered near the front gate pondering things. She was so frustrated that she didn't know what was going on. Was it something serious? How much time did he have left anyway? She assumed not very much. Was that it? Was he worried because of the curse?

She was going to turn back to return inside when a recognizable voice bellowed to her.

"Yuki! Oh my god Yuki! I found you!" Shockingly it was Keigo, stumbling up to the castle gate. He looked worn and tired beyond compare.

"Keigo!" She exclaimed, racing past the gate to her friend's aid. "What are you doing here?"

"Aizen's had everyone in town looking for you for a long time now. I…can't believe I finally found you. I thought I would never see you again!" Keigo said, latching himself to her.

"Come on. I'll take you inside." She said, kindly.

He paused for a moment, scared.

"What do you mean? I can't go in there! He'll capture me to! That…that monster!" He cringed, backing off.

"Don't worry. The hollow wont hurt you I promise," Yuki tried to convince him smiling.

"I…Is that why you're outside and not all locked up?" He asked, confused.

"I'm treated more as a guest here. I'm not a prisoner," she said already pulling him inside.

Keigo didn't say much when they entered. He was too stunned to be in the castle of all places. What if the monster found out? He would probably be screwed.

"Who's that?" The tiny plushy voice of Grimmjow called as they shut the door.

Keigo jumped and screamed in a comical manner. He had never seen anything like a talking stuffed animal before. It freaked him out.

"Keigo calm down!" Yuki called to him, "It's only Grimmjow!"

Grumpily Grimmjow glared up at her. "What the hell do you mean by 'its only Grimmjow'? I used to be the best fighter in the damn castle! I should be feared! Goddamn woman!" he exclaimed then exited to a room nearby.

"Uh…just ignore him. He's always like that. C'mon, I'll have Orihime cook you some food." Yuki informed, pulling him to the kitchen, which had other living plushy's as well. He gulped nervously as they served him food.

Regardless of his unease he shoveled in the food. He was starved. After he ate his friend asked him questions.

"So you came here to rescue me?" she asked head tilting a bit. "I'm a willing captive you know, so there's really no need to _rescue_ me."

"Well that is really only half of it. Ever since that day Iyo returned without you, he hasn't been right in the head and he's very sick. He needs you," Keigo sighed, still jittery about being in the hollow's castle.

"What?! Iyo's sick? I…I can't stay here! I need to help him," Yuki freaked out, racing to her feet. She ran away from Keigo to go find the hollow. She was going to seriously beg him to leave. She couldn't leave Iyo alone in the condition he was in.

He was up in his room doing who knows what. She barged in without even so much as a knock. He glanced over at her, a bit startled that she had just barged in so suddenly. She was distraught and panting, as if she had run all the way up there from the first floor.

"Please," she panted. "Please let me leave!"

The hollow paused for a long moment. This was a chance he could use to let her go. Still, it saddened him that she wanted to in the first place.

"Why do you need to leave so badly?" he asked, calmly.

"Iyo! My brother Iyo! He's very sick and needs me to care for him. Please let me go home. I know I said I would be your prisoner and…"

"You are no longer my prisoner. You haven't been my prisoner for a long time now. You may leave and help your brother…and you don't have to return if you don't want to," the hollow sighed, interrupting her.

Yuki paused, eyes wide. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. He was letting her go, and she didn't even have to return. He had grown so generous over the past couple of months. She couldn't help it when she came up to give him a big bear hug.

"Thank you so much," she said in a heartfelt way. "You don't know how much it means to me."

He heaved out a long sigh just before she parted her embrace. He turned to a corner and shoveled around for a while, in search of something. He was confusing her. What could he possibly be doing?

"Here. Take this with you," he announced, handing her something she never thought he would ever give up on any circumstances.

"Why…are you giving me this? I thought you never wanted me to touch this?" Yuki gawked as she looked back and forth between the porcelain doll he set in her hand and his terrifying stoic mask.

"I trust you, plus I don't need it anymore," The hollow informed briskly. "You should make haste now though. Your brother needs you."

"Oh! Right! Thank you again!" She smiled at him, then left downstairs to meet with Keigo who was in a trancelike state due to being scared of the castle.

"Come on Keigo!" She called, "we have to go home!"

Quickly he came to her side and they left the castle. Yuki was not sure if she would ever return to the hollow's castle. In all truth she loved it there and did not wish to leave, but she was needed at home. She would miss him and the others in the castle while she was away.

The hollow painstakingly watched as Yuki left his castle. He knew that she would not return to him. There was no way she would. He was a hopeless cause, his time was up. The curse just couldn't be broken.

"Master! Why did you let her go?" The majority of his plushy staff had come up to his room extremely concerned.

"I couldn't let her stay," he sighed. "Her brother needed her. I'm sorry I let you guys down." he sounded totally depressed and heartbroken at this time. "Please excuse me." He raced out of his room and disappeared to another part of the castle.

Yuki and Keigo reached home at nightfall. They parted so she could go tend to her brother. She went through the doors threshold calling to him.

"Iyo! I'm home!" Almost instantaneously he came charging in from their main room his sleepless eyes widened at the sight of her. He came up and hugged her tightly. It was as if she'd disappear at any moment if he let go.

"How did you get home? Did you escape?" he asked, shakily.

"No. He let me go. Are you okay Iyo?" She asked more concerned for his wellbeing. He was wobbling on his feet a lot. She led him to his bed and lay him down.

"We can talk more tomorrow. You need some sleep," she cooed to him softly. He didn't put up much of a fight, merely nodding.

She knelt down next to his bed, holding his hand. She began humming softly as she shuffled around in her bag for the porcelain doll in her bag. She found it still as it always looked with its short orange hair, and noble princely clothes. The heart in the center of its body was almost completely full with the color red. There was hardly any black left. She wondered why he had given her this doll that he so treasured so dearly. She held it close promising that she would keep it safe until she could return to him. She had it all planned that once Iyo was all better she would return to the hollows castle and spend the rest of her life there. Monster or not.

**(Awe…now they're kinda sweet on each other. Sadly…I think this story is almost over. Probably two or three more chapters left. I hope you liked this chappie! ^.^ I will update the next one as soon as I can!)**


	9. Chapter 9: Love

**(^.^ Thank you to everyone who has read this and commented. I really appreciate it. Wow. I updated this one quickly. LOL.I hope you like this chapter.)**

**Chapter 9: Love**

Yuki was disturbed from her sleep early the next morning by a pack of ravenous men. They were all eager to see if the rumor that she had returned was true. Aizen of course had to be in the front of the group enveloping her.

"Oh! My fiancé has returned finally," he announced in a cruel manner.

"Fiancé?!" Iyo asked gawking. He could hardly believe what he heard. No one ever told him anything. "Yuki…is this true? I thought you hated the men here?"

Bitterly she grinned. "I do. I completely hate this entire village actually."

"Then why?" he gawked, stunned.

"They wouldn't let me leave unless I decided to marry one of them. I did it so I could go and rescue you from the hollow's castle," she sighed.

"Me? But…I want you to live your own life. All you do is care for me," he announced confused.

"It won't matter now because she's marrying me," Aizen grinned laying an arm over the defeated girl.

"I am living my own life. I'm getting my own family like you wanted," she sighed, resentfully. "I'm glad that you're feeling better. I guess just my presence is your sanity."

"Off to the tavern!" Aizen exclaimed, dragging her off to the tavern.

They had her sing for them for hours at the tavern and she would return home exhausted. This happened for three whole days. Were they trying to break her spirit? She hardly even talked to her brother anymore. She was really depressed. Sometimes she would find herself talking to the porcelain doll, pretending it was the hollow. She really wanted to go back. She sighed, holding the only remnant of the castle she still had. She missed everyone so much.

"Yuki?" Iyo asked entering the room. "I know you don't want to marry Aizen."

"Of course not," she mumbled hugging her knees. "He's a jerk!"

"That isn't the only reason you're sad though, is it?" He wondered seriously.

"You wouldn't care," she sighed bleakly.

"How would you know?!" he growled, "Tell me what's bothering you."

She let out a big sigh, "I want to go back to the hollow's castle." She was peering away from him, knowing that he would totally disapprove of what she wanted.

Iyo choked on air for a minute. Why on earth did she want to return there? He wasn't to fond of the idea, but calmed himself enough to speak with her.

"Well, it's your life and your decision. You can go back to the castle if you really want to," he informed sadly.

Yuki's eyes widened. Had she heard him right? He was okay with it?

"Really? You're letting me go back? You don't disapprove or anything?" she gaped in surprise.

"I didn't say I don't disapprove, but it's your life and if you want to go back I will let you. If it makes you happy then go," he was glancing away from her in a shy manner.

She smiled. "I guess I didn't really have to ask did I?"

"No. But I'm kind of glad you did. I can say goodbye now," Iyo came up and gently hugged her. "I really hope you're happy where you are going."

"I am. I promise to come back to visit!" she told him, then grabbed her bag, put the doll inside and raced out of their home and into the woods.

Yuki reached the castle in no time it seemed. She had only been thinking of the hollow the entire time. She was glad to be away from the town and its people. The castle was where she belonged.

She ran into the castle to find it dead quiet. Confused she looked around. Where was everybody?

"Hello?" she called, wandering through the halls. "Orihime? Uryu? Grimmjow? Hollow?!" there was no reply from anyone. She was scared. "Please! Anyone! I'm back!"

"Yuki?" Finally she was answered by one of the members of the castle. She was happy to see it was Orihime.

"Where is everyone?" Yuki asked the plushy, confused.

"The master has locked himself away in a room. He's been there since you left. We've been trying to get him out," she sighed, depressingly.

"Was he that upset when I left?" She asked, confused.

"I think he feels bad about letting everyone down," she informed dully.

Quickly Yuki picked up the plushy and ran. She went up to the upper area of the castle on the east side.

"Which room did he go in?" She asked nobly.

"Yours," she murmured.

Yuki raced off to her room. It was true all the hollow's servants were there trying to prod him out of the room. Slowly she came up to the door and knocked lightly.

"Hollow, can I come in?" she inquired, nervously.

Suddenly she heard a rustling in the room and fast footsteps that could only be the hollow's. The door swung open and there was the hollow, standing there in what she could only assume was shock. Before she could say anything else he stepped forward and enfolded his arms tightly around her.

"I cant believe you came back," he announced happy.

"Of course I came back," she smiled. "I like it here."

"I'm glad," he sighed, so relieved that she had come back to him. He was so happy that she still liked him even though he was a horrible, hopeless monster. "Come, I'm sure you're hungry," he said leading her out of the room and downstairs.

They sat next to each other at the table and talked for a long time until Orihime came with the food.

In the middle of dinner there was an unexpected disturbance. Keigo came running in, completely void of his fear of the hollow. He looked distraught like he'd been running for a really long time. Shakily he came up to the table and slammed his hands against the table.

"You must run away from here!" he exclaimed. "Aizen forced me to lead him and the other village men here. They're going to try and kill the hollow so they can take you back!"

"What?!" Yuki cried in anger. How dare they! Why couldn't they just leave her alone? She was finally happy for once in her life and they were going to take it away from her!

Quietly the hollow got to his feet. He took Yuki's hand and pulled her up as well.

"You should leave before they find you tipped us off," he said to Keigo.

He nodded and raced out of the castle. There was no way he would have stayed there. He just didn't want to see Yuki get hurt.

"Come. You need to be taken somewhere safe," the hollow announced and pulled her out to the back garden. He was taking her to the back gate. She could escape through there.

"Once we reach the gate you run as far away as possible," he told her valiantly.

"What about you?" She asked, concerned.

"I'm staying to defend my castle and servants. They need me." He said, sighing.

Yuki was going to ask him something else but the echo of gunfire sounded. They were already there, and in the back garden. They were waiting for them. Keigo had come and told them too late.

The hollow pushed her exclaiming, "Run!"

She did as she was told, but someone immediately caught her. It was hard to see the men in the darkness.

"Let her go!" he screamed, charging at the man, who instantly let her go out of fright.

Soon enough another man caught her though and he was the one she hated most. Aizen. As she struggled the porcelain doll fell out of her bag that was still attached around her waist. The face cracked a little and the hollow wavered for a moment as if it were a direct hit to him. Noticing the monster's pain, Aizen let Yuki go and picked up the fragile doll. From the crack in the face he broke a piece off. The hollow cried out in pain.

"No knife or sword can penetrate your skin, and neither can any bullet. Yet this doll is how I can kill you. You are so pathetic," Aizen said as he broke the entire face of the porcelain doll. The hollow screamed flailing around in pain.

Yuki ran up to Aizen who had just broken the arm of the doll now. There were tears in her eyes as she tried to grab it from him.

"Stop! Can't you see you're hurting him!" she cried, glancing back.

"That is the point my dear," he informed beginning to rip at the heart shape in the middle of the doll's chest. The hollow screamed more and fell to the ground. His body shaking from all the pain.

Yuki raced to his side bawling her eyes out. She held his pallid hand and cried over him.

"Please stop Aizen I'll do whatever you want. Just don't kill the hollow," she bawled furiously.

The man smirked indifferently but said, "Very well. Marry me tomorrow morning and I will not kill this abomination."

"Okay! Okay! I'll marry you," she sniffled.

"Hmph," the man laughed, and then threw the doll to the ground, breaking more than it had before. The hollow winced, but did not cry out this time. He was looking sadly up at her.

"I'm sorry," she blubbered, still crying over him.

He shakily lifted a hand and wiped away he tears. He hated to see her cry.

"Don't be sorry," he whisped, barely able to talk.

"At least you'll be able to live now," she sighed. "I should go now."

Slowly she leaned over while hugging him and lightly kissed the side of his mask.

"I love you," she whispered as tears fell from her eyes once more.

Quickly after that she raced up to Aizen and they left the hollow all alone, wounded and broken in the back garden.

The walk home was very fuzzy. All Yuki knew is that she cried all the way back home. Aizen didn't take her to her home. Instead she was taken to the tavern where she was forced to sing. She didn't remember much of that either, other than the fact that she was still crying. Even when she was taken off to Aizen's home she cried. In bed she cried herself to sleep. She wished that the hollow hadn't had to suffer for her. It was all her fault.

**(T^T Awe…. Poor Yuki and the hollow. I hope you all liked this chapter. The next one will be up very soon I'm sure.)**


	10. Chapter 10: The Prince

(^.^ Oh yeah! I'm on an update streak this week! But not for much longer. )

Chapter 10: The Prince

Yuki peered at her dressed up figure in the mirror. The way she was all dolled up she looked nothing like her original self. The dress was made grudgingly by the women of Karakura village. She sighed, looking at her face heavily caked in makeup. Today was the day that she would wed Sosuke Aizen. The mere thought of it made her feel sick. She wanted to cry, but then the makeup that he so persistently insisted she wear would run and smear. Then she would have to reapply it.

Miserably she walked over to the open window in her room and kneeled against the sill. The gentle late spring breeze eased in and caressed her face. She was thinking a great deal about the hollow again. She was never going to be able to see him again. That also made her want to cry. She loved him so much, even if he was a monster. She would have been so much happier if she could marry him instead of jerkface Aizen.

"Yuki, are you ready?" Iyo asked coming in. he seemed sad for her as well.

She peered back at him solemnly, only nodding. She had already explained to him why she had come back to the village to marry Aizen. He fully understood why she wasn't running away anymore. A dear friend of hers' life was at stake if she didn't. Sighing, he held his arm out to her.

"We better head out then," he muttered.

She nodded once more and joined his side. He was going to walk her down the aisle.

As they walked the music played and everyone stared. Even the women couldn't help but to gawk at her beauty now. She hated this, but it had to be done. She parted with her brother and took her place next to the overly happy man.

As the priest began to speak, she shut her eyes. She couldn't stand to look at anyone or anything. She was in utter despair. She wished she could just man up and accept her fate. She was marrying a jerk she hated, but for a good cause. Still, she found she could not open her eyes. Just a small part of her wished she could get out of this mess she thrust herself into. If only there was a way out.

The priest was on his way to the vows when there was a sudden interruption. A somewhat familiar voice bellowed through the darkness Yuki was trying to envelope herself in.

"Wait!" he called in a noble way. He sounded so far away.

She opened her eyes and peered out in the distance. Out of the woods, a man on a gleaming white stallion rode toward them. He had short orange hair and incredibly noble clothes. Once he reached the crowd he leapt off his horse, face serious. He peered longingly at the bride and groom not far from where he stood.

In a fit of rage, Aizen pushed Yuki behind him and growled at the dignified intruder. "Who the hell are you?!"

The man frowned but answered his question, "I am Prince Ichigo Kurosaki."

The crowd began to buzz. The Kurosaki family had gone missing many years ago. There had been no trace of them or the castle for a long time now. It was hard to believe that there was any member of the family still alive.

"Why have you come here?" Aizen hissed.

"I'm here for her," the prince said, acknowledging Yuki.

"Why? You don't even know her!" he announced, pissed.

Ichigo went silent when he said that. He looked rather depressed now.

Yuki watched the man of nobility standing not very far away from her. There was something so familiar about him. It was like she knew him. She began to step out toward him, but of course Aizen stopped her.

"Don't you even think about it!" he spat.

She looked at him disheartened. She was just curious. Why couldn't she go see the stranger? Aizen didn't hold on long though. It seemed that someone pulled him away from her. It was another man she didn't recognize. He was dressed nicely; not like a noble; with a sword tied around his waist. He had cyan blue hair and eyes.

"Hey!" Prince Ichigo hollered at the new intruder. "I told you not to come! I said I can come get her myself!"

"Master, I don't think you could have. Not with this jackass here," the blue haired man called. Instantly Yuki recognized his voice.

"Grimmjow?! H…how did you become human?" She gawked.

"I aint got nothing to say," he announced, backing off a bit. "Go ask him." He referred to the prince standing there now looking dejected.

By now she had a good feeling on who that orange haired prince was. She slowly strode to him. She stopped about a foot away, merely looking into his eyes. Cautiously, she raised her hand to lightly touch his face. She could tell it was him. It had to be. She was trying to keep the tears from flowing again.

"You're him…aren't you," she said softly. "The hollow."

Prince Ichigo smiled radiantly before joyously wrapping his arms around her. He tenderly kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you so much for believing in me. You broke my curse," he said lovingly.

"I did?" she asked, cluelessly. She glanced up at him the best she could. Their embrace was causing more of a buzz throughout the crowd. Both the men and women were absolutely jealous.

"You're the only one who could have," he smiled, not caring about the angry villagers.

She laughed a little in disbelief. She managed to break the hollow's curse after all. She was so pleased that he was okay now.

"Yuki," he said seriously, looking her straight in the eye. "I know you have a prior engagement," he peeked back at Aizen for a brief moment. "But would you like to come back with me to the castle. We could um…get married?"

She giggled a little bit. Out of all the suitors she'd ever had that was the funniest proposal to her. Of course it was also her favorite. She actually loved this man.

"Of course I'll marry you," she said.

"Even though you know what I'm like?" he asked, still utterly serious.

"Of course," she said sympathetically. "I love you."

Prince Ichigo smiled at her answer. He was satisfied. Quickly he scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to his beautiful white horse. They mounted it and as he began to leave he cued Grimmjow to let Aizen go.

They rode back to the castle, which had changed significantly while she was gone. It was now gorgeously white and everything was new and fresh. All the workers of the fortress were waiting for her arrival. As they rode by some of them talked to her.

"I can't wait to make your wedding dinner!" a woman with orange brown hair called to them in Orihime's voice.

A man with glasses and black hair said in Uryu's voice, "I should have your wedding dress finished by tomorrow. It will be so much better than that gaudy thing."

She was so glad to see that everyone was okay and not plushys.

They stopped at the marble steps where two girls were waiting for them. One had black hair and appeared to have a lot of spunk while the other had short brown hair and appeared very gentle.

"Thank you for freeing everyone from the curse," the brown haired twin said. She nudged her sister to tell them the same.

"Oh yeah, thanks," the second girl mumbled, apparently not good with those certain things.

She nodded. Now grateful to them instead of her. She was so happy for everyone. ~

Yuki could hardly believe she was marrying a prince. They were already up at the alter and saying their "I do's". The staff had been so kind as to even bring her brother. This was the best day of her life.

Ichigo kissed her passionately on the lips. It was their first kiss to the rest of their lives together and she couldn't be happier. And to think if she had never stayed with him all that time despite what a cruel monster he used to be she would have never fallen in love. Her life would have remained dull and she would have never married. Now she could spend the rest of her life with her beloved hollow. A happily ever after.

The End

(Thank you all so much for reading. I hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. And thank you so so much for reading all the way through to the end. *Hugs* Ah! It feels good to be finished though. ^.^ Bye! I hope you liked it!)


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